Complementary treatment option

Patients with conditions such as asthma, COPD and carpal tunnel or those who suffer from migraines, muscle pain or sinus disorders usually talk to their provider about a prescription medication, surgery options or some other conventional form of treatment. There is a complementary option, which can be used in addition to medical treatment called Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT).

“Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment is a form of hands on care given by an osteopathic doctor who has been trained and licensed in medicine.” says Susan Mason, a licensed doctor of osteopathic medicine at UnityPoint Clinic Family Medicine – Westdale. “It involves using the hands to diagnose, treat and prevent illness and injury. “The osteopathic physician will gently move muscles and bones using several direct and indirect soft tissue techniques including stretching, gentle pressure and resistance.”

“OMT can be a very beneficial treatment option for a patient. It can be used as a complement to prescription medications or other treatments, or even replace them, using the body’s structure and function to heal itself,” explains Dr. Mason. As OMT has continued to grow, research results over the last decade have shown that it reduces pain, improves patients’ functionality and even reduced the average length of hospital stays for older patients who were hospitalized with common conditions.

Studies published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association found osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) reduced pain and improved function in patients suffering from chronic, nonspecific low back pain. Further, patients reporting the worst pain and higher degrees of disability received the most substantial benefit from the treatments.